Return Again
by sakuramapel
Summary: The quest is complete and Naraku has been defeated. But the well has closed off, trapping Kagome in the Sengoku Jidai.
1. Closed

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Warning: A brief flirtation with citrus content.

I. Closed

* * *

It felt as though she would never breathe again. Her eyes rested, unfocussed and unseeing, on a caterpillar winding through the grass. 

Much like the first day she had come to this place, the fresh breeze caressed her softly and the birds sang overhead. Kagome didn't notice. She barely registered the discomfort of the almost painful lump rising in her throat.

_Jii-chan, Mama… Souta…_

The well was closed.

"Kagome."

His clawed hand clasped her shoulder firmly as he knelt beside her. His hot breath skittered past her ear. She shivered.

"C'mon, let's head back to the village. We'll figure this out later."

If it hadn't been for the strength in his arms as he lifted her to her feet, she was sure that she would not have been able to stand.

Slinging the bulging yellow pack that held the last few precious remnants of her old life over his shoulder, Inuyasha grasped her hand and tugged her toward the well-worn path.

Kagome sobbed.

Inuyasha turned, the pack dropping carelessly to the ground, and drew her tightly to his chest. Unconsciously, Kagome wrinkled her nose. The musty smell of firerat did little to conceal the smell of his sweat. The firerat didn't bother her so much when he leapt freely through the air, but it could get a little ripe on humid days. Kagome didn't mind too much, though. The smell was Inuyasha, and at this moment that was a comfort. His claws scored her scalp lightly as he ran his hand through her hair.

"Please don't cry. No matter what, I'll take care of you."

His words had the opposite effect, of course – tears she hadn't realized that she was holding back broke loose, streaming freely down her cheeks.

When she finally quieted, he handed her the bag and lifted her onto his back, heading for Kaede's.

* * *

The mood was somber in the small village. Several months ago, Kikyou-sama had come back to them in the guise of an odd young girl in strange clothes from a faraway place. But accompanied by the hanyou Inuyasha, the monk of dubious piety, the sad taijiya, and an assortment of small youkai, it seemed that the reborn miko had completed her mission.

The moon had turned almost two full cycles since the day the anxious travelers had returned to Kaede-sama with an unconscious Kagome. There had been talk of a great battle, a heroic defeat, but the odd girl from the faraway place had been gravely injured. Protective as ever, the hanyou would not leave her side during the four days that the elderly miko tended to the girl's injuries. He climbed the hill with Kaede-sama to return Kikyou-sama's remains to their sacred resting place only after it was certain that Kagome would return to health.

The weeks of Kagome's recovery passed with joyous festivities. The village girls were evenly divided in their opinions as to whether Miroku's marriage to Sango was an unfortunate loss or a welcome relief. They all agreed, however, that the taijiya would have the challenge of her life keeping the monk in hand. So long as she kept _his_ hands full, the marriage would work out just fine.

But early that morning, the mood had grown heavy when Kagome announced she was returning to her home. Inuyasha, they had decided, would travel with her. With the jewel gone, it was uncertain whether they would be able to return to the village. But he couldn't let her go, not now, not after everything they had been through.

Having realized Kagome's inevitable choice long ago, Miroku and Sango bid their farewell to the odd pair that had come to be their dearest friends. The young kitsune surprised them all, bearing the parting without too much fuss. Over the course of their adventures, it had become apparent to even the youngest member of their close-knit group that Inuyasha would win her in the end.

It was thus with some surprise that Miroku turned to greet the hanyou that afternoon. The trademark blur of red and silver had entered the clearing by their hut with a typically abrupt greeting.

"Oi, bouzu, we need you. Where's Kaede?"

Miroku still found the absence of the customary perjorative disconcerting when Inuyasha referred to the elderly miko. The coarse hanyou had dropped his traditional "babaa" after she had healed Kagome-sama, but couldn't bring himself to grace her with an honorific.

It was the precious cargo that Inuyasha lowered gently to the ground, however, that caused Miroku's forehead to crease with a worried frown. Kagome-sama was pale, her eyes puffy. It seemed that their unspoken fear had been realized.

* * *

The taijiya sighed as she hefted the chain blade, laying it aside. The weapon had been badly damaged in the battle with Naraku. Although weapons maintenance was one of the first things that every taijiya learned in training, Kohaku showed no interest in fixing this one. Sango doubted whether he would ever pick it up again. Perhaps that wasn't such a bad thing.

Sango smiled as she watched Shippou and Kirara frolicking with the normally sombre young boy. She had feared that he might never again know joy, but time and the persistent playfulness of his furry companions seemed to be having some effect. She cautiously hoped that he would come to his own terms with the horrors of the past.

Not for the last time, Sango silently thanked Inuyasha's enigmatic brother for reviving Kohaku with his healing sword. Without the shikon shard, the boy's life had slipped away during the final battle. But when the dispassionate youkai had refused Kagome-chan the benefits of Tenseiga as well, the hanyou nearly lost his mind. "The tsukai have not come" the elder brother had intoned, before turning and departing the bloody and charred battleground.

Sango's eyes flicked to her friend, who was quietly watching the setting sun. It had been hours since Houshi-sama had left with Inuyasha and Kaede to inspect the well. After the battle, no one had spoken of the possibility that access to Kagome-chan's world might be sealed for good, focusing instead on the more immediate concerns for the young woman's survival and healing. Optimism and joy, it was felt, would aid in her recovery. With the future so uncertain, Kaede had encouraged the betrothed couple to marry as soon as possible so that Kagome-chan might share in and benefit from the joyous occasion.

The taijiya's thoughts immediately strayed to the man who was now her husband. Sango had not been ignorant of the ways of men. She was an attractive young woman, after all, and it was not uncommon for village youth to explore the pleasures of the flesh. But married life had turned out to hold more than a few surprises in the darkness of the night, not to mention the early morning or later in the day, when the young couple might be able to slip away or when the other occupants of their new hut were otherwise occupied. Just thinking of Houshi-sama's honeyed voice brought a burnished tint to her cheeks.

As though her thoughts had summoned the deliciously wicked monk, the distinct jingle of his shakujo drew the attention of everyone present to the narrow path. The looks on the faces of the returning trio told the story, even before Kaede knelt before Kagome-chan to deliver the news.

"I'm sorry, child, but it appears that there is nothing we can do."

* * *

**tsukai **– the little imp things that come to carry the souls of the dead to the next world. Sesshoumaru's Tenseiga works by exterminating the pesky little buggers, reviving the nearly departed. Apparently the word translates into something like _pall-bearer_, but _tsukai_ is shorter and it simply won't do to have Fluffy-sama utter more syllables than necessary.

**bouzu** – according to Chris Rijk, who manages the _Sengoku o-Togi Zoushi_ translation site, this is an insulting name for a Buddhist priest. In the original Japanese, Inuyasha frequently refers to Miroku this way. Contrast with Sango's "**Houshi-sama**," which is a very formal way to address a Buddhist monk.

**babaa** – a disrespectful term for an elderly woman. The equivalent for an old man is **jiijii**, as in when Inuyasha refers to "Myouga-jiijii".

**shakujo** – Miroku's jingly staff. The following description comes from www. geocities. com/oviedokempo/shaku[underscore]e. html:

"The shakujo was one of the few material possessions that were allowed to the Buddhist monk. According to one old custom, the number of rings that could be carried on the stick was equivalent to the hierarchy that each person had reached in the way towards the enlightenment (a Bodhisattva would carry six, for example, symbolizing the six kingdoms or stages of transmigration until arriving at the Buddha state). Nowadays the shakujo has a solely ceremonial function, but originally, among other functions, it served the mendicant monk to drive away the evil spirits and to alert the little animals that could cross in his way, so that he could avoid to do involuntarily damage to them, or even to defend himself from more dangerous animals, in that eventuality, or against the frequent attacks from the bandits. Also he could use it like call, so that the people of the villages by where he walked in his pilgrimage were alert of his arrival and went out to give him food or to ask for his blessings."


	2. Question

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Warning: Still no lemon, but a dash of angst and enough sugar to rot the teeth out of your head.

II. Question

* * *

Kagome sat on the grassy knoll, brushing her hair as it dried slowly in the warm summer sun. It had been several weeks since they had discovered that her future was now tied to the Sengoku Jidai. The idea was becoming less alien, slowly, but she sometimes cried for no particular reason except that it was a relief to do so.

The young woman from the modern era had been very small when her father died – too young really to suffer from the shock of the loss. It had seemed to the sweet child as though her daddy had simply stayed away longer than usual, on another of his frequent business trips. But she vividly remembered her mother's pain and the times that Mama would cloister herself to cry alone. Kagome had come to understand well enough to recognize her own grief now.

The members of the Higurashi family weren't dead, but to Kagome it felt for all the world as though she had lost them forever. Her brow furrowed. Miroku-sama had counseled her gently, invoking the wisdom of Buddha who brought enlightenment on the passing of souls. Her future was no less certain now than it had been at any other time of her life. Kagome reminded herself to embrace the present and to open her heart to the future.

The dog days of summer had arrived, the heat and humidity approaching unbearable near midday before retreating into the slick lazy warmth of brightly hued evenings. Although not to the taste of the villagers, who privately opined that it was yet another of the peculiarities that set the young woman apart, Kagome found a noontime dip in the distant hot spring quite refreshing – if only because the water remained marginally wetter and warmer than the stifling summer heat. She felt almost cool, at least for a time, after leaving the spring.

As had become their daily habit, Inuyasha joined her on the knoll as soon as she was dressed. She didn't bother to reflect on his infallibly perfect timing. He had been good to his word, hunting and foraging and protecting their little group, even helping out on occasion with the village chores while Kagome trained with Kaede.

Kagome sighed. Training with the elderly miko was frustrating. Herb lore was boring, but Kagome was as diligent in her studies as always. Healing came naturally enough. But spiritual training was becoming more difficult with each passing session, her focus slipping slowly away and her powers increasingly difficult to grasp. She had finally mentioned the problem to Kaede-obasan, wondering whether it was a natural occurrence because of her progress into womanhood or the process of grieving. The elderly miko seemed perplexed, admitting freely that she did not know the source of Kagome's difficulties.

Inuyasha shifted on the ground before her, his head cradled in his upright palm as he stretched lazily on his side. He flicked his locks carelessly over his shoulder in a wordless demand for the attention of her brush.

* * *

Her grooming habits had always fascinated him. Inuyasha watched intently as the bristled brush swept once more through her hair, the sunlight glancing off the ebony silk. She smelled fresh and warm, and her countenance lightened with the unconscious pleasure she seemed to glean from the simple act.

As usual these days, the moment passed quickly and Kagome's brow furrowed. She was worrying again. Kagome was normally so carefree, and it bothered him to see her suffering like this. But if anyone could understand the sense of loss and grief and separation, it was the hanyou boy whose own life had held misery and isolation the likes of which few could comprehend.

Although he hated her suffering, Inuyasha allowed Kagome the moments of privacy she sometimes needed to cry. Much to the surprise of their friends, he had in fact demonstrated an extraordinary sensitivity to her shifting moods. Inuyasha had slipped only once, one evening, over a particularly measly dinner of grilled river fish. Without thinking he had voiced his desire for his beloved and desperately missed ramen. Kagome's abrupt and tearful departure weighed heavily on his conscience, ensuring that any future references to the wonders of her time were strictly off-limits until she decided to raise the subject herself.

Inuyasha tensed as he heard Kagome sigh. It was time to distract her from her troubling thoughts.

Noticing his intense concentration as she brushed her hair, Kagome had offered a few days ago to brush his as well. The process had done nothing for him, the pleasure she seemed to derive from the act remained a complete mystery. But oddly enough she had seemed to enjoy brushing _his_ hair as much as her own, the flicking of his ears as they were tickled by the silver threads earning him a few treasured giggles. Truth be told, he didn't mind it when she touched him – even his ears – so he had subjected himself to this odd act more than once for the sake of her happiness.

The rhythm Kagome set as she stroked through his mane lulled Inuyasha into an unusually peaceful state. His eyelids grew heavy as the golden sun suffused his body with its molten warmth.

Memories of the celebrations marking the union of Miroku and Sango flooded unbidden into his consciousness. Kagome had been unable to take part in most of the activities due to her injuries, but a delighted squeal had escaped her lips when he hefted her unto a rooftop to watch the celebratory dance. Later that night after everyone had retired, Inuyasha and Kagome shared a special moment. Hell would freeze, with Kikyou in it, before he would be seen dancing by any of those village idiots. But by the light of the moon, he had acquiesced to Kagome's shy and wistful request for a dance of their own. After all, Kaede _had_ said that they should try to keep her spirits up.

Inuyasha winced as Kagome's brush snagged in a particularly nasty tangle. But knowing that she had bigger worries on her mind, he kept his mouth shut. Last night he had overheard Kaede-babaa discussing the problem of Kagome's waning powers with the monk. They were uncertain about the source of the problem, but speculated that it might be tied to Kikyou's final departure or perhaps to the fact that the power was no longer needed to purify the shikon no tama.

A miko of even minimal spiritual talents, such as Kaede, was a valuable protector and therefore revered by the people of the village. But in the absence of spiritual power, village women were valued mainly because they could produce the sons needed to see to the future of the family and community. If Kagome were to lose all of her powers, as they feared she might, there was little left to protect her from the demands of the village. Even a married woman could cultivate herbs and tend to everyone's health. Inuyasha's eyes snapped open as he bolted upright, twisting around.

"Kagome."

He so surprised himself with the sound of his own voice that he barely registered his next words, which slipped out on impulse.

* * *

Kagome stared at him with wide disbelieving eyes. Seeing the shock on her face, Inuyasha rushed to explain himself, to point out that he had only offered for her sake. Kagome's soft voice stilled the rush of explanations. His breath caught at her words.

"Yes, Inuyasha. Yes."


	3. Jitters

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Warning: Mature content. "Dangerous territory, my friend."

III. Jitters

* * *

Kagome chewed on her nail absently as she worried about what she had gotten herself into. It was a bad habit she rarely indulged, although Inuyasha had grabbed her hand away from her mouth more than once when she fretted over exams. She sat him nearly to oblivion the first time he did it, irritated no end over the double standard from He-who-picked-his-teeth (when he thought no one was looking). She had felt badly, for a fleeting moment, when Inuyasha explained that his claws were far tougher than her nails but that her bite was surely as bad or worse than his own. Of course, his mumbled complaint that she would undoubtedly hurt herself with her own stupidity had earned him one more sit for good measure.

It was the most ridiculous thing for her to worry over, really. There was no one she trusted more than Inuyasha. She loved Inuyasha. She was even growing confident in her belief that, in his own way, he loved her too. Yet the niggling doubt wormed its way back into her mind. Despite all of her self-assurances, she couldn't seem to beat it down.

Sango-chan had unfortunately been unable to offer much insight into the matter. The taijiya had remained poised over the teapot, hoping the rising steam would hide her flushed face. She explained the little she knew of youkai mating habits – which, truth be told, didn't sound too different. No, Sango-chan didn't expect Inuyasha would be much different from other men. She squirmed a bit when Kagome asked whether he would be more inclined to favour doggie-style, and she had nearly choked on her tea when Kagome wondered about using her mouth. In fact, Sango-chan seemed very flustered by the end of their conversation. But she assured Kagome that Inuyasha would never do anything to cause her harm.

"Trust his instincts," she advised. "They've served him well enough so far. He'll manage at least as well as any other man."

_But that's just it._ It wasn't that he was a hanyou. The village elders had welcomed the news when Kaede informed them of the couple's decision. Inuyasha, it seemed, had earned not only their trust but a measure of their respect as well. Kagome, of course, had never had a problem with his youkai heritage. But insofar as he was as male as any other man, he might as well have been from Mars.

Intellectually, Kagome understood enough about sex. She had attended health classes, had seen glimpses of porn (it was everywhere in Tokyo), had wondered with her girlfriends and had heard stories from those who had experienced _it _firsthand. She knew it might hurt a little the first time, that it was frequently disappointing between inexperienced partners, that it could be one of the most wonderful things in the world with the right man. But if the boys of the modern era were perplexing, she didn't have the first clue about where to begin with a hanyou boy from the Sengoku Jidai.

Their wedding was set to coincide with the harvest festivities and harvest was fast approaching. One way or another, Kagome would find out soon enough. She tried to ignore the knot that settled in her stomach.

* * *

Inuyasha growled irritably as he rotated his shoulder and stretched his neck, trying to ease the kink that had pained him for the last hour. It happened every damn time she slammed him into the ground with the despised rosary. It had been weeks since she had last done it, and he had nearly forgotten the jarring agony that jolted up his spine every time his jaw met the unforgiving earth.

_"Sit"? More like fucking torture._

The worst thing about the whole humiliating farce was that he didn't have the foggiest notion what the hell he'd done to bring it on this time. He had appeared on the knoll, right on cue, but she seemed startled when he spoke her name. He'd hit the ground and she was gone before he knew what had happened.

Come to think of it, she had been acting stranger than usual recently. It started after he'd asked the question. She seemed to be avoiding him now, with increasing frequency, and he had detected a growing tinge in her scent. It wasn't fear, precisely, but it was damn close. It had been bugging the hell out of him.

Inuyasha's brow furrowed as a disturbing new thought occurred to him. What if she had decided that she didn't want to marry him after all?

"Inuyasha, come down."

The monk's syrupy voice intruded on his sullen thoughts. He didn't really feel like company right now.

"Go away, bouzu."

"Now, now, Inuyasha. I heard what happened and I came to find you. We need to have a little chat about bridal jitters."

Inuyasha was in no mood to discuss bridal _anything_ at that particular moment, but the sing-song tone in the monk's voice told him that Miroku knew something more than he was letting on. There was no way that the pain-in-the-ass would leave him in peace until he had discharged this little errand so Inuyasha reluctantly gave in. He dropped from his branch, landing in a crouch at the monk's feet. Miroku seated himself in his usual hollow at the base of the all-too-familiar tree.

Glancing at the hanyou, Miroku winced inwardly at the fading bruise on his chin. Inuyasha healed fast, but the yellow trace proved that this had indeed been a fine one. No wonder he was in such a fierce sulk. Though the monk voiced his opinion only when necessary, he tended to side with Kagome-sama in the lovers' quarrels. But in this instance, he felt deep sympathy for Inuyasha. Even Shippou would be glad that he missed this sitting.

Miroku rearranged his robes as he reflected upon the matter at hand. One particularly interesting conversation, overheard days ago, had given him much to ponder. _Doggie-style?_

"You had something to say, bouzu?"

Miroku shook his head to clear his thoughts, returing his focus to Inuyasha. He cleared his throat, choosing his words carefully. The monk knew that he was encroaching on dangerous territory in this discussion with the hot-tempered hanyou.

"Inuyasha, perhaps you have noticed that Kagome-sama hasn't been acting like herself."

"I'm not blind, idiot."

"She seems to be troubled about something, don't you think?"

Inuyasha glared. "Point being?"

"Have you given any thought as to the source of her worries?"

For the first time Miroku could recall in all of their conversations, Inuyasha looked away.

"Maybe she's decided she doesn't want to be with me."

He shouldn't have been surprised, but somehow he hadn't anticipated this. Inuyasha was even stupider than he thought.

"Kagome-sama is suffering from bridal jitters, Inuyasha. It's perfectly natural."

He felt the hanyou's intense gaze once again.

"What are you talking about?"

"It's perfectly natural, Inuyasha, for a woman who is perhaps somewhat inexperienced in the ways of the world to be a little nervous about the first time she lays with a man."

Dark brows knit under silver hair.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's not _you_, Inuyasha. It's not that she fears laying _with you_. It's just that, well, she's a little uncertain about the laying part. That's all. Nothing profound, my friend. Quite simple really."

One dark eyebrow flickered.

"What are you saying?"

Sometimes he could be unbelievably dense. Invoking the patience of Buddha, Miroku managed not to sigh.

"Listen, Inuyasha. You really should speak with Kagome-sama about this. Try to reassure her, calm her fears. The sooner, the better – it's only going to become more difficult if you leave it until your wedding night."

With that, the monk rose, straightened his robes and headed back towards the village and his wife. Happy thoughts filled his head. _I wonder what she meant by using her mouth to…_

* * *

As night fell, Inuyasha remained crouched by his usual tree. He didn't notice the stiffening of his joints, brought on by hours of immobility. He didn't notice the village children returning from their fishing. He didn't even notice the acorns pelting off of his head as Shippou and Kohaku passed by with them.

And if anyone noticed the hanyou's stunned silence that day, it was certainly never remarked upon.


	4. Solitude

Disclaimer: Not mine.

A/N: This chapter was driving me nuts, and I had to rewrite it before moving along. I think it works better now. Thank you for your patience.

IV. Solitude

* * *

Inuyasha's foot scratched absently at the back of his ear. It was an unconscious canine habit that surfaced only when the hanyou was bored or absorbed in thought. He had plenty to think about these days, especially as he wondered what the hell he had gotten himself into. It seemed that human couples were _expected_ to rut after they married. (Sure, Miroku had been at Sango all the time since their wedding, but everyone knew that the monk was a pervert.) Kagome had said that she wanted to marry him, but did she want him _that _way? Did she really intend to rut with him?

It wasn't surprising that Kagome was nervous about coupling. Humans in her time had some strange mating habits. Inuyasha remembered the first time he had seen the magazines they sold in their "convenience stores." His jaw had gone slack and his eyes had nearly popped out of his head as he tried to make sense out of the contorted figures. Kagome acted as though she hadn't seen what had drawn his attention, but he had felt her tense and had detected the slight shift in her scent as she pulled him out of the shop. She seemed embarrassed and maybe a little mad. Sensing a _very big sit_, Inuyasha never mentioned the magazines or any of the other pictures he had glimpsed all over her Tokyo.

He instinctively understood enough about mating. Inuyasha had seen human, animal and youkai couplings in the woods, and for as long as he could remember he had known what they were doing. The process seemed perfectly natural, but _talking_ about it was a whole other matter. Armed with her damned spell, Kagome was dangerous at the best of times – and with her "bridal jitters," these were far from the best of times. The stupid monk was obviously incapable of comprehending the unbearable agony of _sit_. Inuyasha cringed at the thought.

But if there was anything he could say, anything he could do to help ease that tinge of anxiety that now permeated Kagome's scent, he was willing to try.

He stared at the waning moon. It would disappear completely in the next few nights, before beginning its cycle anew. Inspiration suddenly struck. For perhaps the first time in his life, Inuyasha brightened at the prospect of his human night. Kagome _never _sat him on those nights, and words seemed to come to him more easily then too. Yes, he would wait until the night of the new moon.

Relaxing for the first time in weeks, Inuyasha leapt to his branch and settled in for a good rest.

* * *

Kagome watched alone as the last light faded with the setting sun. The crickets sang and the stars twinkled in the darkened sky.

Kaede-obachan had been summoned to a nearby village, Shippou-chan was spending the night with Kohaku-kun and Kirara, and Inuyasha.… It had been three days since she had seen him, and she wondered briefly if he was ever going to speak to her again.

She hadn't meant to sit him. He had startled her a few days ago as she finished dressing, her mind finally registering the fact that he must have seen her naked. The thought of him watching her had been unnerving, the command slipping out on impulse. Kagome regretted it immediately but fled the awkward moment, before having to explain the source of her discomfort to the enraged hanyou. While Sango-chan tried to calm her jangled nerves with a cup of tea, Miroku-sama had sauntered off to smooth things over with Inuyasha.

Kagome sniffled. Apparently Miroku-sama's velvet diplomacy had failed them this time. She and Inuyasha had fought before, had endured separations longer than this. But ever since she had learned the secret of his human night, Inuyasha invariably gravitated to her with each new moon. Missing the comfort of his presence these past few days, Kagome could well appreciate his need for companionship on those nights. He helped to fill the empty pain she felt in her heart when she thought of her family back in the modern era.

Inuyasha wasn't a replacement – Kagome understood all too well the pain _that _could cause. Kikyou's passing and their defeat of Naraku had finally allowed Inuyasha the clarity he had needed to move forward. Although the couple had become almost inseparable over the course of their quest, the last few weeks had witnessed the transformation of their friendship into something deeper still. No, Inuyasha meant much, much more to her than that.

Nonetheless, Kagome hugged her knees as she longed for the comforts of her family home. It had been her haven after their fights, the place she went if she needed a few days to cry or cool off. She missed Mama's comforting hugs and gentle advice, Jii-chan's eccentricity and Souta's sweet demeanor. Not to mention Mama's cooking, a warm bath and the sweet embrace of a warm, soft bed.

Inuyasha coming to fetch her back to the Sengoku Jidai.

The Higurashi home had also been an occasional haven for the hanyou. They had passed more than one new moon together in the security of her time. Steak dinners and video game tournaments had become a tradition, whenever they could make it back for his human night. As bittersweet memories of Inuyasha and her family filled her mind, Kagome wasn't sure whom she missed more right now.

Resigned to her solitude on this dark night, Kagome decided to retire to her futon to cry herself to sleep.

Then he arrived.

* * *

Inuyasha was quite pleased with himself. He had managed to convince the brat to abandon Kagome for the night _and_ secured some private time for the monk and taijiya as well. The hanyou was getting sick of happening upon their little trysts in the forest, seeming to cross their path every damn time they snuck off together. Hoping that they might wear themselves out with a night of privacy, he had convinced Shippou that camping in the woods would be good for Kohaku.

Secure in the knowledge that he would have all night to speak with Kagome, Inuyasha set out to bathe and to collect the meal he had hunted for her earlier. But as much as he wanted to settle matters with his future bride, he wasn't exactly looking forward to _this _discussion. Somehow his errands took longer than he had planned so that it was well past sundown by the time he arrived at Kaede's hut.

Kagome was sitting in the grass, her knees clasped to her chest. She looked very small and very vulnerable. For a moment, Inuyasha was angry with himself for leaving her unprotected for even a short time. Without the shikon na tama to draw them, dangerous youkai rarely approached the village now, and he regularly patrolled the perimeter of the village to deal with the few who dared to venture too close. Nevertheless, she would have been an easy target this night.

Not wanting to startle her again, Inuyasha scuffed his feet against the hard-packed earth as he approached. The sound drew her attention and she looked up. His breath stilled as the emotions played across her beautiful face. She looked at once both miserable but relieved. His name ghosted from her lips in a broken whisper.

Inuyasha crouched before her, laying his parcel aside before reaching up to run his fingers through her hair. Kagome leaned in and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. He inhaled deeply as he held her close, his thumb tracing small circles on her lower back. When her grip finally loosened, he spoke softly into the hair near her ear.

"Kagome, we need to talk."


	5. Nourishment

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Warnings: Lime and cliffie, anyone?

V. Nourishment

* * *

Dinner passed relatively quietly despite his earlier words. Kagome initially protested that she wasn't very hungry, but the suckling boar was a rare treat that she couldn't refuse. Inuyasha was pleased. It was his responsibility to provide and care for her, and his chest swelled with pride to hear her contented sigh over their meal.  
  
They cooked and ate outside, enjoying the soft breeze as it whispered through the trees – a sure sign that autumn was on its way. Well-nourished, Kagome yawned and stretched, signaling her imminent retirement for the night. Inuyasha banked the firepit before heading into the hut, while Kagome saw to clearing the scraps from dinner.

Her eyes slowly adjusted to the pitch-black dark as she entered their dwelling. Inuyasha was already settled in his customary place next to her futon, cross-legged with his back to the wall and Tessaiga resting against his shoulder. She smiled. He must have been tired, and it reassured her to think that perhaps he hadn't slept well either during the last few nights.  
  
She readied for bed as quietly as she could, settling in on her side under the thin summer duvet. But as her consciousness began to ebb, Inuyasha's voice drew her attention.  
  
"We don't have to if you don't want to."  
  
Her breath stilled as his statement tumbled through her mind. She sat up with alarm. _Please_, she prayed silently, _please don't back out on me now_.  
  
"Don't _you_ want to?"  
  
It took him a moment to reflect on that question. Before the monk's visit a few days ago he had never really thought about coupling, had never dared hope to find a mate of his own. Kikyou... Kikyou had been a companion, the first willing friend he had ever encountered. Inuyasha had understood her loneliness, the shared need for affection resonating between their souls. But he had never really thought beyond the day they would formally promise themselves to one another, about what it would have meant to become her mate.  
  
Kagome was different. Her scent had curled around him and had tickled his senses from the first moment he awakened on Goshinboku. She seemed familiar, easily confused for the miko who had angered him half a century earlier with her seemingly cold betrayal. The initial anger dwindled as realization had dawned that this young woman couldn't possibly be the same one. Yet a certain something had continued to smoulder in his blood, flaring up regularly but never quenched with their frequent bickering.  
  
Something deep within Inuyasha's mind had unconsciously blocked awareness of his own desires before Miroku's visit, but that barrier had been destroyed three nights ago as surely as if it had been shattered by Tessaiga. He looked at Kagome now, her scent no less enticing to his diminished human senses, and he realized that he had wanted her _that way_ from the very first moment he had laid eyes on her. He could almost taste her. The depth of his burning desire to rut on this untried woman almost consumed him.  
  
Focused as he was on Kagome, Inuyasha became aware of the utter stillness of her form. She was afraid. How could he possibly speak to her of the depth of his desires? If she knew the delicious thoughts running through his mind of ravishing her young body, his confession would surely send her fleeing.  
  
"I... I don't want... to make you do anything that you're not ready for," he said at last.  
  
Kagome was in his arms in an instant, tucking her head under his chin as she nuzzled against his chest. His human ears could barely hear the words mumbled against his rough haori.  
  
"Inuyasha, I want to marry you more than anything else in this world. Please don't _ever_ doubt that." His brow furrowed.  
  
"Of course we're getting married, Kagome. We just won't _mate_ before you're ready."  
  
Kagome stilled. Had he just said what she thought he did? Her face flushed scarlet as realization dawned. He _knew_? He knew the source of her anxiety? _That _was what he had meant?  
  
"Why are you afraid, Kagome?" His voice was soft. "What is it you fear?"  
  
What _did_ she fear? Resting here, in his strong but gentle arms, the sound of his heartbeat lulling her, calming her.  
  
"I don't..." she whispered, "well, I've never... I'm not really sure. I know that it will hurt, but…"  
  
Inuyasha's movement cut her off. He pulled back gently, his hand cupping her cheek as he drew her face up to look at him, their eyes meeting as he searched her soul. He leaned forward slowly, his lips gliding gently over hers once, twice. His tongue slipped softly into her mouth, questing tentatively, retreating. Catching her lower lip between his teeth, he tugged lightly before letting the soft flesh go.  
  
She was stunned. After a moment, she drew in a shuddering breath, her lips still parted. He watched her carefully.  
  
"That didn't hurt, did it?"  
  
"No. It didn't." She leaned in again, initiating their second kiss. This one was less tentative, more heated. Her arms wrapped around him as his hands smoothed over her tiny waist, around her lower back, up the side of her chest. His lips and teeth and tongue trailed over her jaw, nipping his way gently down her neck, suckling and nuzzling and humming to her softly. Desire pooled in her core. She broke away from him suddenly.  
  
"Inuyasha... please... kissing, it isn't the same..."  
  
"No?" He grinned. "How so?"  
  
She struggled to find the words, to think how best to explain to him. How much would he know about female anatomy? How could she make him understand?  
  
Her hand trailed up over his face, brushing back his thick, black hair. Her fingers slipped down, lightly tracing over his human ear, tangling in the locks at his neck.  
  
"It's different for a woman."  
  
His smile softened. "I know."  
  
"The first time, a woman has to be opened her first time. There may be blood. It's supposed to hurt a little."  
  
He drew her close, nuzzled her hair. "Kagome, what makes you believe it's going to hurt? I swear I won't hurt you." He sounded so sure. But all of the things she had read, the stories she had heard...  
  
"Inuyasha, there are books about this, we have to read them at school. And some girls I know who have tried, they said that it did."  
  
Inuyasha thought back to the day that he had found the "human health" textbook in her room, while waiting for her to come home from school. The book had confused him initially – the pictures didn't look much like anything he recognized, at least not at first. The words had been detached and strange. He became upset, however, when he realized what exactly the book was about. Why the hell was she learning _that_ in school? Who was she planning to practice with? He had dragged her back through the well as soon as she got home, threatening never to let her return. That had caused a spectacular fight and an especially painful sitting session. It had taken over a week to get her to agree to come back.  
  
As he thought back to that textbook now, he remembered why it had seemed so strange. It really was no wonder that she was upset, that other girls had been anxious and had suffered as a result. For all of the wonders of Kagome's world, the people in her time could sometimes do the most amazingly stupid things.  
  
"Kagome, forget the books. This is not something you need to _think _about." His hand slipped down over her waist as he kissed her senseless once again. Panting softly, he glanced down at her red, swollen lips, his heated breath mingling with her own. "You just need to _feel_."  
  
She settled against him for another reassuring hug, hiding her reddened face against his chest. His mouth ran dry with her next shy words, as her hands slipped under his shirt.  
  
"Show me."

* * *

****

**Goshinboku** – the ancient and mysterious sacred tree to which Inuyasha was sealed for fifty years by Kikyou's arrow. The tree's existence spans from before the Sengoku Jidai well into the modern age, linking Inuyasha's time with Kagome's.


	6. Claimed teaser

Disclaimer: Not Mine.

A/N: I have only posted the teaser here as I'm afraid that the full chapter might just get me bumped from FFnet. The full lemon will soon be online at MediaMiner: (www. mediaminer. org). In the meantime, I will email the chapter upon request to anyone who states that they have reached the appropriate age of majority.

VI. Claimed

* * *

She giggled nervously as the bare-chested young man advanced on her like a beast on the hunt. He growled softly as she backed onto the futon, pouncing as soon as he was certain that the soft mattress would cushion her fall. Her giggles erupted into full-fledged laughter when he attacked her neck with a rumbling snarl, playful bites and sultry licks. He settled himself over his shy prey, the curtain of his ebony hair cocooning them as his knee slipped between her legs.

Inuyasha leaned in for a slow, deep kiss as his legs pressed hers apart. His hips rocked teasingly against her. Kagome gasped lightly as her fingers danced down his back, seeking a comfortable hold on the wicked boy who was invoking the most unimaginable feelings in her body.

"Inu… ya… sha… Is that… is that you?" The firm bulge pressed against her heated center as his lips glided against hers in another gentle kiss. "Mmm hmm," she almost felt rather than heard his mumbled response. He pulled back onto his knees as his questing hands snagged under her pajama shirt.

"This has to come off." He tugged at the pink camisole top. "This would be so much easier if you would get rid of these pajama thingies," he groused, glancing lower at her waist. "Pants. Women just shouldn't wear pants."

She laughed. He had no clue how sexist that sounded, yet he looked positively adorable with his frustrated pout. She sat up. "What would you prefer that I wear?"

"Keh. Nothing! Dumb question." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "But if you have to wear something to bed, why not your skirt? That would make much more sense. You can wear these pants during the day. That way, I get easy access _and _I don't have to worry about other males looking at you." He looked pleased with himself.

She giggled. "I'd feel silly wearing my pajamas all day."

His eyes widened. "No, just the pants. I forbid you from wearing that shirt in front of the village men. Bad enough that the brat has seen you in it." He shuddered as he envisioned the kitsune snuggling into her exposed cleavage. The kid wasn't half as innocent as he pretended to be. Inuyasha's palm slid softly over one of her breasts, cupping her possessively. Her nipple hardened under the thin fabric, drawing his attention back to the matter at hand. "This has to come _off_."

_continued at MediaMiner. org…_


	7. Dreams

Disclaimer: Not mine.

A/N: So did y'all like the lemon? Nothing like a little citrus in the summer. Now, back to our regularly scheduled plot…

VII. Dreams

* * *

"Sesshoumaru-sama!!!!"

The circumstances leading to the young girl's appearance would forever remain a mystery. But despite his seeming disregard for humans, Kagome realized that Sesshoumaru would not have willingly brought the child to any battlefield.

Luck, it seemed, was going to have her hand in this affair, and Kagome was beginning to fear that Fortune favoured the wrong side.

Kouga-kun was down. She wasn't sure whether he was injured or dead, but the field was littered with the corpses of his pack brothers.

Sango-chan was valiantly holding her own while trying to tend to Kohaku-kun, but her compromised position meant that she could offer no help with the offensive. Miroku-sama aided in the defense of the pair, his kazaana rendered useless by the poisonous saimyoushou.

Naraku's wily maneuvers had thus far enabled him to evade the unceasing attacks of the sons of the late Inutaisho. But the small girl's appearance tipped a delicate balance. Although the ethereal youkai appeared to ignore the girl's plaintive cry, he was seemingly caught unaware by the indiscriminate power of Tessaiga when Naraku dodged yet another wave of the relentless Kaze no Kizu. The force of the impact sent the elder brother hurtling through the air, skidding to a motionless stop several hundred feet away.

At the same moment, Naraku landed a hit in his feint. As he withdrew the tentacle with which had impaled Inuyasha, he savoured his handiwork. The situation looked bleak for their small group.

Kagome had utmost faith in the strength of her hanyou companion, but given the circumstances she feared for his life. Disregarding his barked order to stay down, she ran towards him while seeking an opening for her purifying arrow. She made an easy target without any effective cover. Like a cat with a mouse, one tentacle flicked lazily to send her sprawling. She heard the snapping of bone as pain seared through her leg.

Naraku gloated at his imminent victory, but his moment was stolen as hiraikotsu severed the arm that held the complete shikon no tama. The glittering jewel rolled across the hard-packed earth as his flesh hit the ground with a sickening, wet thud.

Then salvation came.

Distracted momentarily by the taijiya that had _dared_ such a hopeless attack, Naraku didn't notice as the elder brother's small charge picked up the coveted jewel that rolled to her feet. The sudden flash of immense spiritual power sent Kagome's senses reeling.

"Kagura." Not completely sure what had just happened, Kagome noted the unspoken command in Sesshoumaru's voice. The wind youkai grasped the small girl, fleeing the battlefield on her feather as Sesshoumaru flew at Naraku, Toukijin in hand. Inuyasha added the strength of Tessaiga to the assault. Acting on instinct, Kagome grabbed for her weapon, feeling the purifying charge as she nocked, aimed, and drew. The arrow released a split second before another tentacle sent her careening through the air.

Kagome heard his anguished cry of defeat, her mind registering the fact that they had _won_. As the earth rushed up to meet her head, she instinctively prepared for death's embrace. Yet oddly enough, her final thought hadn't been one of her family, her friends, or Inuyasha. Instead, Kagome had wondered at the difference one small child could make.

* * *

She jolted upright with a sharply indrawn breath. _A dream… it was just a dream._ The jarring impact that had claimed her consciousness after their battle had not come. _But it seemed so real._ She could almost feel the residual of the intense focus, the spiritual power of her purifying arrow. It seemed as if the power was just beyond her grasp.

"Oi, Kagome, are you alright?"

She glanced up at the sound of the rush curtain scraping against the doorframe. She could see only the silhouette of her hanyou poking his head in through the door. As her senses tuned in to her waking environment, she became aware of the sound of the kids in the yard.

"Hmn, Inuyasha, I'm fine. It was just a dream. I'll be out in a few minutes."

His ears squeaked. "Shippou and Kohaku caught some fish for breakfast." With that, he was gone.

She stretched slowly, tentatively seeking any twinges in her body, surprised that there were none. She had been awakened at dawn by the frisky, silver-haired hanyou. Spooned against her back, wrapped around her body, he had proved to her _twice_ that youkai mating habits weren't so very different after all.

She had been relieved to learn that he wasn't any … bigger in his hanyou form – that possibility _had _worried her, had even had Sango-chan squirming, no less. But her mate had been more self-assured in his hanyou form, more _vigorous_ in his attentions. And it had felt _good_. She wouldn't have traded their first night together for anything in the world, but most of her pleasure had come from being so close and sharing with him. It seemed this morning that her body was adjusting to his presence, beginning to discover the physical pleasure that could come from the delicious friction of their union. She hadn't yet experienced any mind-numbing completion, but he had pleasured her with his tongue after he was done. Satiated, she had drifted back into sleep… and into dreams.

Kagome dressed for the day in loose miko robes. Inuyasha had escorted her into the woods last night after their lovemaking, so that she could answer nature's call. She had realized then that sex was messy, but it seemed that sex with a hanyou was messier still. Kagome yearned for a bath, but settled for a quick wipe-down. Breakfast first, there would be time to bathe later. Besides, she _liked _the smell of Inuyasha on her skin.

* * *

Inuyasha's nose twitched as he settled down to roast the fish. The skin on the back of his neck still tingled, the fine hairs standing on end. It felt sort of like when a miko's arrow whizzed by too close. _Must've been some damn dream._

Deeply engrossed in a game of tag, Shippou tried to evade his friend by climbing up over Inuyasha's shoulder, seating his bushy-tailed ass on the hanyou's head. A clawed hand reached up, grabbing the scruff of a tail and lowering the kitsune to meet a pair of golden-hued eyes.

"Listen brat, I'm not a stool. No squatting here."

"Inuyasha, you have to protect me," he pleaded.

"Sorry, kiddo. You're _it_." He dropped the kitsune into Kohaku's hands.

Kagome stepped out from Kaede's hut, gracing him with the most glorious smile he had seen in weeks. The brat flew into her arms, snuggling against her chest. His tail twitched madly as he shot Inuyasha a dirty look.

They settled around the cookpit to enjoy their breakfast of grilled fish. Kohaku-kun and the kitsune regaled the couple with stories of the night's adventures. Kagome laughed at their antics, enjoying their animated retelling more than the stories themselves.

Inuyasha watched as Kagome turned her face to the sun, glowing as she basked in its warmth. Her soft voice was dreamy when she spoke.

"Inuyasha, will you take me to the hot spring? I'd really like a warm soak." The thought of bathing with Kagome sent a frisson of delight down his spine, awakening his seemingly insatiable desire once again. She didn't have to ask twice.

As she retreated to the hut to collect her bathing supplies, the kitsune taunted the unusually mild-mannered hanyou with a saucy tone.

"No wonder you're acting so nice today!" His voice dropped. "It's about damn time."

Kagome returned with her beach bag. She didn't remark on the lumps that had suddenly sprouted on the brat's head.

Nope, nothing was going to spoil this beautiful day.


	8. Transitions

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Warning: A teensy bit of angst. Kagome has to go through this, but I promise that things will get better for her. Life is like that sometimes.

A/N: This story called for one lemon, so one I delivered. If there's enough interest, I will probably end up slipping an optional PWP scene in down the road. But I have an absolutely kawaii little epilogue in mind and I need to let the plot drive the story there first.

VIII. Transitions

* * *

Kagome exhaled slowly as another bout passed. She pulled herself upright and Inuyasha pressed a damp rag to her head. _This is getting ridiculous_. She had lost the last contents of her stomach nearly an hour ago, but the heaving had yet to let up.

Inuyasha had become mildly agitated soon after the new moon, remarking on the shift in her scent. But he had never been in this situation before and wasn't sure whether the change was simply due to their mating. It had been just as natural to dismiss Kagome's late cycle because of the excitement of their approaching nuptials. Realization had dawned on the young couple only when her period failed to return.

The onslaught of morning sickness in the weeks following their small wedding therefore confirmed what they already knew. Thankfully, Kaede didn't seem particularly concerned about the timing. An early delivery wouldn't be the first in the village and certainly wouldn't raise any eyebrows.

News of Kagome's condition was in fact met with warm smiles and congratulations from their friends. Inuyasha's delight was apparent when he delivered the news to Miroku-sama. "First time, bouzu," he crowed. "We got pregnant our first time. _You're_ obviously not doing it right." Kagome blushed.

She wasn't so sure that the first time had done it, but clearly they had conceived a child early in their burgeoning intimacy. The possibility had occurred to Kagome from the beginning, yet the thought of carrying Inuyasha's child had seemed anything but dreadful and it wasn't as though they had access to birth control anyway.

Oh, to have known what she knew now. Kagome groaned as her stomach churned, but the discomfort was less intense and the nausea passed quickly. Inuyasha eyed her carefully before handing her a cup of water. She rinsed her mouth, then warily tried a few sips. His hand gently stroked her back as the minutes passed. It seemed that her stomach had finally settled, and she gratefully took another small drink.

Inuyasha led her back to Kaede's hut, guiding her through the dark to their futon. He curled around behind her as she settled in for what was left of the night. His fingers caressed the slight curve that was just beginning to protrude from her lower abdomen, and he nuzzled under her hair to lightly nip and lick at the back of her neck. Her hanyou didn't need much rest, but she knew he would continue to hold her like this after he managed to lull her back into sleep.

Sleep was slow to reclaim her, however. At first, the bouts of sickness had awakened her every night, and in her exhaustion she had fallen easily back into dreams. But the sickness was coming less frequently now. Kagome had managed a few nights of uninterrupted sleep before this.

_Well rested_ sleep was more difficult to come by. Her dreams were at least as exhausting as the nightly interruptions. They weren't bad, for the most part, but they were _vivid_. Sometimes Kagome dreamed of her family in the modern era, sometimes of her small family here. Most of the dreams were ordinary enough, though the relived battles could be disturbing. In some dreams she was a miko, drawing easily on the spiritual power that seemed to be slipping away from her in the waking world. In some dreams she was a hanyou, leaping through the trees and hunting her prey. Those dreams were especially unsettling – she liked the feeling of freedom and the wind whipping through her hair, but the smell from the carnage of the hunt usually triggered another wave of morning sickness.

_Morning sickness, indeed._ The nausea generally gripped her in the earliest hours of the morning, well before sunrise. Shippou-chan had taken to sleeping with Kaede, or often with Kohaku-hun and Kirara where he would remain undisturbed by the nightly disruptions. Although Kaede could be awakened easily when needed, she seemed to be able to sleep through anything if she wasn't summoned. After the first few nights, Inuyasha had become accustomed to soothing Kagome until her stomach settled.

She hadn't expected it to be like this. Kagome hadn't expected pregnancy to be perfect, hadn't even expected it to be easy, but she never would have imagined that it would make her feel so rotten at night, so exhausted during the day. _And this is only the beginning._ With the promise of raging hormones and swelling ankles, not to mention some of the less pleasant aspects of pregnancy she had heard about, Kagome had every reason to believe that it was only going to get worse.

She was lucky to have Inuyasha, lucky to have Kaede and Shippou-chan and close friends, but she couldn't help wishing once again for Mama's comforting presence. Mama had experience in these things, would have been able to help ease the difficult times. Kagome sniffled as she thought about what it might have been like to share this with her family and friends in modern Tokyo, imagining Mama's delight in holding her first grandchild and Souta's reaction to becoming an uncle.

Sensing her melancholy, Inuyasha tightened his hand over her belly before venturing upwards to cup her breast. His teeth grazed her neck and he wuffed a low guttural sound against her back. It was an oddly reassuring sound, which sufficed to distract her from her sadness. Her consciousness ebbed into darkness in the warmth of his embrace.

* * *

She recoiled in horror at the garish sight, the blaring sounds and the acrid smell of the wreckage. It had been a dreadful accident, the inexorable result from a chain reaction of small events entirely beyond anyone's control. The six-car pileup shut down several blocks in West Shinjuku as emergency response teams fought the snarled Tokyo traffic to try to bring aid to those trapped within the tangled metal.

One of the cars seemed familiar, niggling at her memory. The 'jaws of life' – overlarge metal cutters – were used to allow the paramedics access to the broken body within. She couldn't get close enough to see the driver, too much metal and too many people in the way. But she saw the slick dark fluid pooling near the wreckage, and she knew it was hopeless even as the paramedics worked to try to continue to pump air and blood through the lifeless victim. The hot sun beat down mercilessly upon them, pollution choking the still air.

Kagome pressed closer as they rolled the victim on a stretcher to the waiting ambulance, but she couldn't get near enough to see whether she recognized the poor driver. The sirens blared as the ambulance pulled away. The sights and sounds and smells seemed to melt together suddenly, as she felt … her consciousness being … pulled away…

The first awareness she gleaned out of the grey fog was the sound of a woman crying. The shrine materialized around her, brighter and more colourful than Kagome could ever remember.

It was a beautiful day. The warm sun shone down upon her, the smell of incense lingered in the air. The birds sang as a gentle breeze brushed past and a sense of calm filled her. _It will be fine._ The thought skittered across her consciousness like a whisper._ Life will go on and another day will dawn._

The sound of sobbing drew her from the shrine and towards the Higurashi home. Goshinboku came fully into view, and then the slight figure of the woman sitting under it. Her shaking form was proof enough that the tree's normally calming presence offered little solace this day.

Kagome's throat tightened as she drew near, the woman's familiar figure unmistakable.

_

Mama… Mama, what's wrong?

_

* * *

"What's wrong? Mama, what happened?"

Kagome sat up in a cold sweat. She brushed the hair from her face and wiped at the freely flowing tears. Inuyasha was beside her immediately, crooning to her with soft words.

"It's alright, Kagome. It was just a dream, just another dream."

His hand stroked through her hair as she regained her bearings. But she couldn't shake the feeling of sadness, the echo of some horrific tragedy. Something was _wrong_. In her heart, Kagome knew that something terrible had happened.

"Inuyasha, please," she wrapped her arms around him tightly, buried her face in his haori. "Please take me to the well."


	9. Return

Disclaimer: Not mine.

A/N: Have you ever wondered why it is that Kagome's mother allows her to go gallivanting through the Senogoku Jidai with an obviously testosterone-laden and very sexy hanyou boy? I can accept the time slip, accept the youkai, even accept the _very big sword_ that grows and throbs red and spews things. But the fact that Kagome is allowed to romp about so freely defies all logic. I mean, the _first_ thing Mama does when she meets Inuyasha is feel up his ears. It has driven me batty from the beginning. I _refuse_ to believe that Mama is that dumb.

IX. Return

* * *

Inuyasha knelt slowly, lowering Kagome from his back, clasping her wrist firmly as he sniffed at the air.

"Ne, Inuyasha, I can't believe it let us through!"

He had expected this attempt would be as fruitless as the others. The hanyou had tried the well almost every day, hoping to find a way to reconnect Kagome with her family. He hated seeing her pain, would have done anything to fix it. Well, _almost_ anything, so long as he didn't have to give her up.

Inuyasha had been worried about how she would react to the almost certain disappointment of another failed attempt. To be honest, he had brought her to the well only to buy himself some time. Kagome had been unusually distressed after this latest dream, and he had hoped that the fresh air would soothe her nerves while affording him an opportunity to reassure her. Now a new worry wormed it's way into his mind, setting his senses on edge. This was Kagome's world, certainly, but something smelled _different_.

"Kagome, something's not right."

She tensed. The distress from her dream echoed through her being. _What does he sense?_

Her reaction didn't escape Inuyasha's notice. He clasped her hand, trying to reassure her with the gentle stroking of his thumb. He realized that he was probably reacting to Kagome's nerves, to his own surprise at their passage through the time slip. Kagome's world always smelled strange, and it had been months since their last visit. Even he had to admit that his protective instincts had gone into overdrive since he got Kagome with child. Still, it couldn't hurt to be cautious.

"The air smells a little different, that's all. Let's just take this slowly."

Kagome wanted to protest. _Slowly is fine and good when it's not your family_. But Inuyasha held her firmly in check as he leapt from the well, cautiously approaching the door to the outside world.

He peered outside. Nothing seemed very much different, other than the slightest shift in the modern stench in the air. Everything looked much like he remembered, except that the paint was brighter. Obviously the old man had gotten inspired during their absence. Deeming the environment safe enough, Inuyasha drew Kagome out of the well house.

With the vision of Mama fresh in her mind, Kagome headed straight for Goshinboku. Worry clenched at her heart once again when she spotted her mother at precisely the same spot she had seen in her dream. The echo of tragedy suppressed her instinct to run to her mother's arms.

"Mama. We're back."

Kagome nearly fainted as the young woman stood and turned to face them. Inuyasha's eyes widened at the figure of a young woman nearing the end of pregnancy. Higurashi-san bowed awkwardly as she struggled to bring her emotions in check.

"Excuse me," she spoke softly. "I'm terribly sorry if I disturbed your meditations. I… I didn't realize we had visitors. People so rarely come to the shrine at this hour." She seemed shy, and dreadfully embarrassed at having been caught in an emotional moment.

"No, no," Kagome spoke quickly. "Please, excuse us, we didn't… didn't mean to intrude." Her mind whirled as she struggled to understand how this might have happened. Here, before them, stood Mama – as she might have been twelve, thirteen years ago. Pregnant with Souta. Realization dawned.

"You've lost … someone."

The young widow looked pained, the loss too fresh. "My husband. He … died in the Shinjuku wreck last week." Kagome's gut twisted. The family car – it had been their family car, when she was small. She had watched her father's death.

"I'm so sorry," her voice nearly broke as the emotion welled suddenly.

* * *

She looked at the odd young couple before her. They seemed … faded, as though they weren't quite there. The young man was very strange, obviously dressed for some festival, although she wasn't aware of any festival in Tokyo today. The young woman was also dressed in medieval costume, but her clothes were far less outlandish. She seemed somehow familiar. _Maybe I'm seeing ghosts._

"I'm so sorry," the young woman sounded upset. "I can't imagine what it's like to lose someone you love that way … I, I don't know what to say."

"Don't be sorry," she soothed. "There are no words. The sun just rises, and then again, and then again. You just have to keep going, one day at a time." Talking it through, explaining it to someone else, helped to ease the pain momentarily, seeming to distance the grief as though it belonged to another. It was a welcome respite.

The young woman before her spoke again, hesitantly. "I… I have been… separated from my family, for several months now. I'm not sure when … or if … I'll ever see them again. It's very difficult, sometimes."

Higurashi-san nodded slowly. It wasn't the same, but close enough that she could understand. "My family, they are my strength. My reason to go on." Her hands smoothed over her belly.

The young woman looked thoughtful. "We're pregnant, too. It's our first."

Higurashi-san smiled. "This is our … my second. I have a little girl." She paused. "Treasure this time, it passes so quickly. And they grow so fast!"

The young woman cocked her head. "It hasn't been much to treasure so far, I've been so sick."

"Oh, I had terrible morning sickness with our first, but it passed. All the women I know who've had children, they seem inclined to tell the most horrible stories. I was terrified. But it wasn't nearly so bad as they said. Once the sickness passed, I loved being pregnant. And now I have a beautiful daughter. She means so much to me – she is my life now, my daughter, and this little one soon."

The young woman before her grew somber. "You remind me of her, my mother. You are … very much like her." Her eyes glittered. "I wish I could tell her how much I love her, how much I miss her, that we are doing okay…"

The strange young man shifted, his attention suddenly drawn towards the torii. Higurashi-san blinked. _Did his ears just… twitch?_ They looked real enough, were certainly a very impressive part of his costume, but surely they couldn't move. Then his nose twitched.

"Tadaima…" Jii-chan called, returning from the park with Kagome. The young girl's happy giggles filled the air.

Higurashi-san turned, prepared to invite the young couple in for tea. Kagome would like their costumes, especially the young man's. No doubt she would _adore_ the puppy ears. But the young man suddenly grew agitated, pulling at his wife's shirt. His voice was gruff.

"Kagome, we have to go. _Now_."

_Kagome?_ It was an unusual name, a nonsense name they had plucked from a mysterious song, seemingly laden with long-lost meaning. The coincidence was… uncanny.

Higurashi-san watched, stunned, as the young woman's eyes grew wide. She stared at the young widow for a long moment, the sounds of Jii-chan and young Kagome drawing closer, before gazing back at the strange young man.

"I'm sorry," her words seemed filled with genuine regret. "We have to go now. I hope that we'll be able to come back and visit again."

Many years passed before Higurashi-san had reason to recollect that strange encounter. When she did, she found that the young woman's words had been etched into her memory.

* * *

****

torii – A torii ("sacred bird gate") is a gate with two overhead cross bars or lintels. Torii are found in front of almost every shrine in Japan. Their function is to mark the boundary between the sacred world of the shrine and the profane world outside. www. nihonbunka. com/shinto/blog/archives/000051. html

**tadaima** – Traditionally, an announcement made when indicating arrival; "I'm here!" or "I'm home!" (www. abcb. com/ency/t/tadaima. Htm)

**Story notes:** I generally dislike it when authors embed lengthy responses to reviews in their chapters, but various reviewers have made some good points that I'd like to address briefly:

1. I do plan to post this story in its entirety on MediaMiner. org when it is complete. You guys are my betas. I'm ironing kinks out as I go, and I realize I'm going to have to do a final pass for commas. Dang things just keep sneaking in where they don't belong.

2. Thank you for catching my persistent misspelling of bouzu (which is an insulting name for a Buddhist monk, btw). I knew the spelling was off, but was too damn lazy to look it up until prompted. I've added an explanatory note to chapter one, as well. So, again, thank you.

3. Yes, it's a lot of fluff. _sigh_ I feel that this is somewhat justified because life is inevitably going to be somewhat less exciting for Inuyasha once the quest is over. In Takahashi-sensei's version, it remains to be seen whether his life will be less exciting from the Sengoku Jidai, the modern era or hell, but whichever way it goes the gang are all due for a rest. I don't think Inu's life will be totally devoid of excitement, however, and even in my little version of events I expect that he's getting all kinds of action. It's just off-screen at the moment.

Assuming that Kagome was trapped in Sengoku Jidai, I figure that she would have to make all kinds of interesting adjustments. I want to delve those a bit. The fic is therefore evolving into a rather Kag-centric piece. But I do feel a little guilty that Inuyasha has been relegated to something of a bit part for the past couple of chapters. I mean, really, he's been acting like a wet dishrag or, Kami help us, Houjou. Let's just chalk it up to the fact that his survival instincts have kicked in and he's getting quite smart about the hormonal effects of pregnancy. Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be back to his feisty self before we're done here. Or y'all can slap me with wet ramen noodles. Or something.


	10. Surfacing

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Warnings: A lecherous monk and pregnant hormone-frenzied newlyweds.

A/N: A nod to d-dandrews, although I think that you've picked the wrong brother for the Pon Farr concept (_wink_)_._ A grudging nod to Margaret Atwood, whose book inspired the title of this chapter. For those of you who have never read her _Surfacing_, don't bother. Life is depressing enough. But if you're one of the few who has slogged through it (_cough_ Can Lit _cough_), you might appreciate the analogy.

X. Surfacing

* * *

A shapely arm skimmed lightly through the heated bath water, extending in an elegant stretch before slipping softly back into the tranquil pool. The liquid steam rising off the bath's surface leant a sultry dreamlike quality to the air of the newly built bathhouse, coaxing the wood's natural aroma to perfume the air. A soft sigh marked the occupant's contemplation of the crystal surface as the last ripple in the water faded into memory. 

Inuyasha had been busy in the two months since their brief visit to Kagome's world. They had decided before their wedding that they would stay on with Kaede, opting not to build a hut of their own. But with Shippou and the baby on the way, along with their increased incentive for a little _privacy_, Inuyasha had busied himself with the construction of an addition to Kaede's small dwelling. The bathhouse had been an afterthought, an almost ridiculous luxury in such a humble village, but with the weather growing colder through the changing of the seasons and Kagome's decreased mobility with her rapidly expanding figure (or, more precisely, Inuyasha's decreased ability to carry her _safely_), it had proven to be a wise choice after all. He would do anything to keep her happy, and Kagome was happiest when she was _clean_.

The hanyou had worried at first after they returned from speaking with Kagome's mother. Fearing that the visions of her father's death would drive her deeper into depression, he had been surprised to see her mood turn for the better. The hormone swings were wilder than ever, the threat of _sit _shadowing his every move, but in balance she seemed much more focused on her studies with Kaede and on preparing for the birth of their child. He asked her about it one night, as he lay curled around her sated form waiting for sleep to claim them both.

"It's just like Mama said," she replied. "You're my family now. You and the baby, Shippou-chan and Kaede. My life is here."

Inuyasha's heart had skipped at the certainty in her voice. He well understood the pain of indecision, of being torn in different directions. He had made his choice before the battle with Naraku, had found relief in the decision once and for all that Kagome was his future. But she had faced a difficult choice as well, and the fear had lingered in his mind that fate had robbed her of the choosing. Yet she seemed to have reconciled with the hand that fate had dealt, had finally accepted this world as hers.

It was thus that Inuyasha had thrown himself into his little construction project, invigorated by his fierce determination to provide what comforts he could offer to his growing family. But between the tasks of building and the demands of Kagome's raging hormones, he was beginning to appreciate the supremely human condition of exhaustion. Kagome had never been demure or shy, but with her pregnancy advancing she was becoming a wanton little vixen. He had to admit that he was no longer sure whether he would be able to keep up to her demands. At least the construction was finished. In the last few weeks, Inuyasha had come to appreciate that nothing eased tired and knotted muscles like a good, hot soak. Becoming irritated with the cooling water, he raised his head and hollered.

"Oi, brat, throw another couple of logs on the fire."

* * *

Although her spiritual powers still evaded her, Kagome had found in the last few weeks that her senses were clearing. She was therefore unsurprised when her awareness began to tingle as she and Shippou-chan collected herbs in one of the clearings in Inuyasha's forest. 

_A little more warning would be good._ He had already been close when her weakened senses first detected his rapidly approaching presence. Immediately recognizing the immense youki that materialized behind her, she stiffened. The small kitsune cried out.

"Kagome!!!"

"Stay back, Shippou-chan."

Running or shouting would do no good. In fact there was little they could do if he intended harm, but she was determined at all costs to protect the life growing within her. Steeling her resolve, she turned to face him.

Several moments passed as the youkai lord considered the hanyou's mate. His abrupt words cut the still silence that shrouded the clearing.

"You would have made a strong miko."

Kagome blinked. It was the first time Sesshoumaru had ever deigned to address her directly. She wondered briefly at the change.

"I had no choice. The power left me after the battle with Naraku."

"The power has not left you, it will be with you always."

His elegant hand extended towards her, the slim fingers sliding over her protruding belly. She shivered but did not flinch. For the briefest of moments, she could almost have sworn that his left eyebrow twitched. _Surely not._

"Impressive." His voice was _soft_? Kagome looked up at him curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"Your power is dormant."

The stillness of the moment was broken by the noisy arrival of the shirtless hanyou, his silver locks not quite dry. He skidded to a halt several feet away from them.

"Leave her alone, you bastard! I'm your opponent!!"

Inuyasha's heart thudded furiously in his chest. He had never been so _terrified_. Sesshoumaru literally held the life of his wife and his unborn child in the poisonous palm of his merciless hand.

But the youkai lord did not respond to the challenge, would not acknowledge the lesser son.

"Father's power is great indeed. But you would not have chosen differently."

Kagome blinked again. _Does he mean?_

Inuyasha looked as though he was ready to erupt into a tantrum worthy of a two-year-old. Only sheer terror for his family held his anger in check. His next words were cold.

"Take your filthy hand off of her."

At that moment, he sounded an awful lot like Sesshoumaru. The tone of voice must have finally caught the elder brother's attention, for he turned to address Inuyasha.

"Do not lose site of your mate again. I will not have the blood of father's line spilled for your carelessness." With that, he was gone.

* * *

Inuyasha sulked as Kagome repeated the bastard's words _again._

"This is very good news, Kagome-sama." That syrupy voice was beginning to grate on him.

"What do you think it means, Miroku-sama?"

Sensing the hanyou's agitation, Kaede interceded. "It means, child, that Sesshoumaru believes your powers will return after you deliver."

"But I'm married. I can't be a miko now."

"That is true, Kagome-sama. You have duties to a family of your own and cannot be expected to fulfill the duties of a priestess as well." _Damn right, bouzu._ "But Sesshoumaru is correct that marriage should not interfere with your natural talents."

"But my powers disappeared before I got pregnant."

"Precisely, child. It required a very strong youki to subdue them. Otherwise, your spirit and body would likely have resisted the conception." Inuyasha's ears perked up.

"That's why Sesshoumaru was impressed," Kagome giggled.

Miroku-sama chimed in again. "Perhaps that also explains, Kagome-sama, why he has acknowledged the lineage of your child."

"Keh." Inuyasha tried to suppress the note of smug male pride in his voice. "I still can't believe you _let _him touch you."

Kagome wrapped her arms around him, snuggling against her beloved.

"You aren't still mad at me for that, are you? I promise it will never happen again."

The monk watched the bickering couple retreat to their room. Kagome-sama nuzzled against the gruff hanyou as she waved goodnight. Their behaviour had truly become rather _unseemly _of late.

Miroku bade Kaede a pleasant evening, privately wishing her and the small kitsune a peaceful night. From the looks of things, they would need the blessing of Buddha to be able to sleep while Kagome _cajoled_ Inuyasha.

_A pregnant woman is indeed a most beautiful creature._

As he walked the small path through the village, Miroku vowed to redouble his efforts to start a family.

* * *

**

youki** – **ki** is inner power, spirit or life energy. Strong warriors are believed to have a strong ki. Youki is the demon energy associated with youkai. Given the effectiveness of Kagome's purifying arrows, it's probably safe to assume that her spiritual power wouldn't mix well with Inuyasha's youki. Any child born of such a union is bound to be interesting! 


	11. Becoming

Disclaimer: Not mine.

A/N: Apologies for the delay in posting this chapter, but RL intruded over the weekend. This chapter turned out a little different from what I expected. Next chapter will complete the tale.

XI. Becoming

* * *

It was the most beautiful, most unspoiled countryside. Fuji-san could be seen in the distance, the plumes of his heated breath rising into a multihued sky. Higurashi-san never would have been able to conjure this dreamscape in even her wildest imaginings. She inhaled deeply, drawing the fresh scent of clear air into her being.

The world suddenly shifted around her, the scenery blurring as they flew through the air. Unused to the remarkable sensation, Higurashi-san clutched the rough haori of her red and silver mount. The wind tousled his streaming hair but he seemed impervious to its buffeting resistance. He glided effortlessly across the treetops, finally touching down next to the clearest inland stream she had ever seen.

A small boy with a fluffy tail and a giant two-tailed cat were catching fish in the river. A young monk sat with a beautiful woman by a crackling campfire, speaking to a third person she could not see. She recognized them immediately from Kagome's tales, these friends from the other side of the mysterious well.

She turned to look upon the hanyou boy who had become her daughter's constant companion. Strangely, he looked less boyish now. More like a man carrying the weight of true responsibility. He returned her gaze steadily.

"You must be patient, Kagome-sama," the monk's voice soothed in the distance. "Your condition may be interfering with the time slip. That would account for what happened last time."

She wanted to turn her head, to look upon the subject of the young monk's counsel, but she could not shift her gaze from the amber-eyed countenance before her. She struggled to no avail to speak, to move, to reach out to a daughter so close … yet hundreds of years away.

It had been more than a year since Kagome last departed through the well, anticipating and dreading the imminent completion of the jewel quest. As the days stretched into weeks, the gnawing uncertainty about a dreamlike vision from long ago had flowered into a desperate hope that she would not be lost to them forever.

Years ago, Jii-chan had dismissed her vision as a hallucination brought on by grief. Yet the visitation had calmed her, reminding her of the joy to be found in her children and lending her the strength to face each new day without her beloved husband.

Mama Higurashi could hardly believe her own eyes the first day the hanyou boy had appeared in her kitchen. She simply _had_ to touch his ears to confirm the reality of the returning vision. As realization dawned that he was indeed flesh-and-blood, she had accepted that her daughter's fate was sealed to the boy. It was thus that Mama had decided to do everything in her power to succour Kagome in whatever small ways she could aid in her daughter's quest, eventually winning Jii-chan and Souta to the cause as well.

_The well must be sealed. Inuyasha would have returned to tell us if she had been harmed._

"I protect Kagome with my life," Inuyasha's calm voice drew her from her reverie. "I swear to you that no harm will come to her." He sounded confident, like a man at peace with the world.

"Bring her back to us, Inuyasha. Please bring Kagome, and the baby as well. I know that she belongs to you now, but the baby is part of all of us."

Mama's quiet plea faded and her consciousness ebbed, the darkness reclaiming her in a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Jii-chan knelt before Goshinboku, praying to the kami that kept watch over the Higurashi family. The incense wafting lightly through the early summer evening suddenly made Kagome feel choked and irritable. "Mama." She felt the tightening low in her abdomen, like the early onset of her monthly cramps. She shifted uncomfortably, trying to find some relief from the bulk she now carried as the life within her stirred. "Mama, something is happening."

A spasm clenched her belly as wetness seeped out over her thighs. As the hanyou beside her suddenly sat up, the shifting of their futon pulled her consciousness back into the waking world.

"Kaede," he barked. "It's time!"

…

They were the worst cramps she had ever experienced and they were washing over her with increasing frequency. The pressure would build until it felt as though she might explode, blossoming into a sharpening ache.

"Shippou-chan, go fetch Miroku and Sango."

"What the fuck do you need them for, Babaa?"

"I need someone to _assist_ with the birth, Inuyasha. I don't have time to deal with you as well. Miroku can keep you occupied."

Village men were normally barred from the birthing process, but Kaede allowed the hanyou to remain near. Most youkai imprinted their parents' scents at birth, and there was no way to know what senses this little one might have. _Best not to deny the babe._

…

Inuyasha had been fretting, pacing through the small dwelling like a maddened bull. But Kagome was glad for his presence, for his unyielding strength as her hands clamped down on his through the worst of the contractions.

…

"Gnnnhhhh." Great heaving gasps marked the passing of that last one. Truly, Kagome wondered whether this hadn't been going on for days. She had never felt so exhausted.

Sango-chan wiped her brow with a dampened cloth. "You're doing well, Kagome-chan. So brave," she soothed. "Your timing was very lucky. Just think – you're going to miss the worst of summer's heat." Even in her fatigued state, a part of Kagome's mind registered the taijiya's growing belly, recognizing that Sango-chan would have to suffer the heat and humidity of summer while carrying the additional weight of her own pregnancy. There was no reason to add to her friend's burden by causing her to fear the inevitable pangs of birth. Kagome redoubled her efforts to brave this labour with a stalwart resolve.

…

It was common knowledge to the village women that birthing was best achieved while standing up. So long as the mother was not overcome with fatigue, gravity would aid in labour. But feeling the age in her bones, Kaede wasn't looking forward to kneeling and catching. She decided on an unorthodox approach.

"Inuyasha, your assistance is required now."

Kneeling by his young wife, the hanyou paled as the elderly miko explained what he should do. On Kaede's orders, he peeked to see how far along the baby had come. But the sight and scent of the crowning child was too much for Inuyasha to bear.

He hit the floor with a resounding thud.

* * *

Inuyasha awakened to the soft sound of cooing. Sitting up next to Kagome, he looked down on the tiny swaddled being she held next to her chest. His eyes widened as she graced him with one of her brilliant smiles.

"Would you like to hold your daughter?"

He trembled slightly as she placed the tiny infant in his arms. It was love at first sight. Inuyasha traced his clawed finger over the baby's tiny nose, over her perfectly formed human ears. The shock of silver hair and the violet eyes marked her father's gifts, but she was a happy looking little thing. Above all she resembled Kagome.

Inuyasha handed the babe her back to her mother. His ears squeaked.

"Where's the rest of them?"

"What?" Kagome looked confused.

"The others, where are the other babies?"

"What other babies?"

"She's so tiny. With your size and all that labouring noise, there must've been at least three of them in there."

The sudden and overwhelming scent of anger roiling off of his wife took Inuyasha by surprise. Kagome's eyes narrowed.

"I-nu-ya-sha,"

_Oh, Shit._

"Osuwari!!!!"

* * *

Additional A/N: A few people have contacted me for a link the lemon. I'm not in the habit of passing links around to people I don't know, as I wouldn't want to inadvertently corrupt any under-aged minds. If you're old enough to read the chapter, I'm sure you can figure out the clue left in the author's note at the beginning of Chapter 6. /_wink_/


	12. Jewel

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Warnings: Inuaysha's language. (What else?)

A/N: I am kinda sad to wrap this up. The story evolved a little differently than I expected, so the aforementioned epilogue is embedded within this chapter. I plan to post some story notes in the next few days, so please don't let the next author's alert raise your expectations. After that, I will be polishing a few kinks out of the story and posting it up at MediaMiner. The optional lemon chapter will likely materialize sometime in the next few weeks. (I expect it will slot in after Chapter 10.)

There have been some neat comments and questions in the reviews. I will try to address those in the forthcoming story notes. If you have additional questions, feel free to send them along. I'll do the best I can to tie up any loose ends.

I'm really shocked and delighted to have received such a positive response. Thank you for reading!

XII. Jewel

* * *

Kaede had counseled them to rest a few days, allowing Inuyasha some time to recover from the ordeal of birth. Many of the villagers paid visits to meet and ogle the new addition to the family.

She had her mother's sweet and friendly nature, cooing and burbling and loving every minute of the attention. Like any babe, she would cry and fuss when she was hungry or soiled, demonstrating some of her father's temperament as well. But she was easily appeased and, overall, appeared to be a very happy child indeed.

Shocking silver hair was proof of her youkai heritage, although it was not yet clear what supernatural abilities she might possess – a difficult matter to predict in a child of mixed heritage. Kaede and Sango speculated that the full extent of her abilities might not become manifest for several years.

Wary of anyone, human or youkai, who might harbour ill will towards a hanyou babe, Inuyasha's fierce protective streak had further sharpened. But what _really_ unsettled him was the rapt attention his little girl was already receiving from the males of different species, growling Shippou and Kohaku away more than once from their new playmate.

Kagome had giggled at his antics. With that hair and those violet eyes, their daughter was bound to be a stunner when she blossomed into womanhood. Oyaji was surely in for a rough ride in a few years.

Shippou-chan was already besotted with his new imouto, drawing pictures for her and recounting their tales from the jewel quest. Of course, as aniki he turned out as the hero more often than not.

The kitsune was not, however, the only admirer to bestow gifts upon the newest resident of the village. The women and children demonstrated their heartfelt acceptance of Inuaysha's family with gifts of fabric for baby clothes, and small playthings. A full week passed, however, before the young family received the most surprising gift of all.

* * *

The quiet hours of predawn witnessed the arrival of the small toadying creature at the outskirts of the village. Seconded to keep watch over the human settlement while the hanyou settled his new pup, the firecat set out to greet the distasteful visitor she scented on the wind.

"Ack!" squawked the creature, surprised by the sudden and silent appearance of the lowly hanyou's accomplice. Despite her small size, he knew _she_ could be a formidable foe.

"Stay back," he thwapped the cat on the nose with his jintojo. "I come on behalf of the Great Lord Sesshoumaru-sama. To oppose my errand is to oppose his will."

Kirara transformed. Lifting the madly protesting creature by the collar of his haori, she escorted him on his errand before returning him to the edge of the village. She watched dutifully, both tails flicking quietly as he shuffled off back in the direction from which he had come.

…

_What the fuck is this? It reeks of my good-for-nothing brother._

Commotion broke out at Kaede's hut with the rising of the sun. Untying the small parcel retrieved from the entryway, Inuyasha popped a vein.

"What is it, Inuyasha?"

As Kagome approached to see what had set him off, the hanyou growled in anger.

"Another one of the bastard's insults." He unwrapped the small, red kimono. "I can hunt firerat for my own family."

"Ooooohhhhhh….. Kawaiii!!!" Kagome squealed, reaching for the tuft of white fur that fell from the bundle.

Inuyasha trembled with rage. His claws extended, preparing to shred the small fluff, but Myouga-ji suddenly hopped up on his shoulder.

"Stop! Inuyasha-sama, that is from your honourable father's mokomoko-sama."

"Gggggnnnnnyyyyyyaaaaahhhhhh!" Inuyasha's fist punched through the floor. _Damn him._

Kagome smoothed her hands over his shoulders, sliding one up to stroke the base of his ear. The hanyou relaxed slowly. Sensing that he was no longer about to shred the first thing within reach, Kagome reached for the small bundle of dried flowers that had also fallen from the kimono.

"That's not like Sesshoumaru," she lifted the precious bundle thoughtfully.

"Hell, no," Inuyasha replied. "Those are from the little girl."

* * *

Kagome exhaled slowly as she warily eyed the old dry well. Inuyasha stood beside her, his comforting arm encircling her shoulder. Little Nyoko-chan rested peacefully, swaddled in the sling against her mother's chest.

Much like the first day that Kagome had become tied to this place, the fresh breeze caressed them softly and the birds sang overhead. But painfully aware of nervous knot tightening low in her belly, Kagome paid little attention at that moment to nature's blessings. Inuyasha's hand stroked her arm slowly in a reassuring motion.

It had been three weeks since the birth of their little one and their daily activities had settled back into a routine pace. Despite enjoying life as a new mother, a small part of Kagome had nonetheless been dreading this inevitable moment. As much as she hoped for a reunion with her family in the modern era, she worried that the well would once again be closed.

Kaede-obachan and Miroku-sama had deduced that something about the baby somehow reactivated the well. The last trip through had been premature, they theorized, twisting the timeslip slightly off. If their theory was right, the way should be open now.

_But there is so much we don't understand. _Not wanting to suffer a crushing disappointment, Kagome had been avoiding this trip. Inuyasha decided for them, this morning, after waking from another night of fitful dreams.

"It's been long enough, woman. Your mother's gonna twist my ears off as it is." Having decided, Inuyasha would brook no argument. Bidding farewell to their friends, they gathered the few things they might need for an extended visit. They would be able to stock up on modern luxuries, after all, _if_ they made it through.

Taking another deep breath, Kagome nodded her readiness.

"Let's go."

Inuyasha lifted her into his arms, entering the well in one mighty leap.

Nyoko-chan wakened and gurgled at the sight of the pretty blue lights.

* * *

**oyaji** – Somewhat disrespectful term for "father". Often translated as "old man." Inuyasha sometimes refers to his father this way.

**imouto** – "Little" (younger) sister.

**aniki** – "Big" (elder) brother.

**jintojo** – Jaken's two-headed staff.

**mokomoko-sama** – Takahashi-sensei's name for Sesshoumaru's fluff. The name hasn't been used in the manga, as far as I can tell, but did come up in an interview. (_bows to Kuro_ … Ah, Kuro, how we luff thee….)__


End file.
